Timer for range top burner

ABSTRACT

A timer for range top burner or the like having a throttle valve and a poppet valve in series with one another for cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having a rotating shaft and control knob and the poppet valve having a stem telescoped in the shaft and biased outwardly to a position of shut off. A timer assembly mounted on the knob has an axially extending main shaft with a dial at the outer end and a cam at the inner end. Adjacent the cam for acting upon the stem is a latchable member. Provision is made for axial movement of the cam, in the present instance by floatingly mounting the frame of the timer assembly, so that the gas is turned on (a) when the dial is pushed in to set the latch and (b) when the knob is turned. The dial is rotated to a set position and is timingly restored to its reference position whereupon the cam engages the latch to release the stem of the poppet to shut off further flow of gas.

United States Patent [72] inventor Walter F. Kolodziej La Salle, Ill.[2]] App]. No. 842,167 [22] Filed July 16. 1969 [45] Patented July 27,I971 [73] Assignee General Time Corporation Stamford, Conn.

[54] TIMER FOR RANGE TOP BURNER 8 Claims, 18 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl l37/624.l2, 137/614. 17 [SH lnt.Cl ..Fl6k 21/06, Fl6k 31/48[50] Field ofSearch .L IN/624.12 624.22,6l4.l6,6l4.17;74/354 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,891,406 6/l959 Stonerl37/624.22 X

Primary Examiner-Alan Cohan Attorney-Richard A. Joel ABSTRACT: A timerfor range top burner or the like having a throttle valve and a poppetvalve in series with one another for cutting off the flow, the throttlevalve having a rotating shaft and control knob and the poppet valvehaving a stem telescoped in the shaft and biased outwardly to a positionof shut off. A timer assembly mounted on the knob has an axiallyextending main shaft with a dial at the outer end and a cam at the innerend. Adjacent the cam for acting upon the stem is a latchable member.Provision is made for axial movement of the cam, in the present instanceby floatingly mounting the frame of the timer assembly, so that the gasis turned on (a) when the dial is pushed in to set the latch and (b)when the knob is turned. The dial is rotated to a set position and istimingly restored to its reference position whereupon the cam engagesthe latch to release the stem of the poppet to shut off further flow ofgas.

i /J/ /Z7 PATENTEUJULZYIQYI 3.595.273

SHEET 2 OF 4 m rwfae' 14 4475? A: K040227471.

TIMER FOR RANGE TOP BURNER Timers have been employed for the control ofa range oven for many years and also for the control of variouselectrical appliances. However, timers have not been commonly used forcontrolling a rangetop burner because of the relatively large amount ofenergy which may be required to rotate the throttle valve to itsposition of shut off at the end of a timed interval.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a timer for a rangetop burner or the like which is integrated into the control knob for theburner and which is capable of shutting off the flow of gasautomatically following the expiration of any desired time interval. Itis a related object of the invention to provide a timer for a range topburner which is easily operated and which is simple and convenient touse. It is another object to provide a timer for a range top burnerwhich uses a spring, wound incident to setting the time interval, fordriving the timing train and operating the valve but which is,nonetheless, easily set with fingertip pressure. More specifically, itis an object of the present invention to provide a timer for a range topburner or the like which does not require the entire plug of thethrottle valve to be rotated back to an off" position but which insteadutilizes a small poppet valve which is connected in series with thethrottle valve, the only energy required at the end of the timing cyclebeing that sufficient to release the latch to permit the poppet valve topop into closed position under the urging of its own biasing spring.When the gas is shutoff, the throttle control knob may be manuallyrestored, if desired, to its"off position. Thus reliability of automaticcontrol is not affected by the friction and torsional loading which maymake a throttle valve hard to turn during the later years in.

the life of the range.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a timedtop burner valve for a range which is integrated with a simple form oftimer mechanism, which is inherently inexpensive and compact, and whichmay be used universally with minor change even in ranges of conventionaldesign. In short, it it an object to provide a simple, reliable andlow-cost timing arrangement for a top burner valve which may be includedin ranges as a utility and sales feature at very little additional cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the attached detailed description and upon reference to thedrawing in which:

FIG. I is a top view, in partial section, of an integrated valve andtimer with portions broken away to reveal some of the internal details;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section showing the throttle valve member in theclosed position;

FIG. 3 shows the throttle valve member turned at an approximate angle of160 for throttled flow of the gas;

FIG. 4 is a front View of the timer train with the front frame plateremoved taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a development of the gears of the timer train along the line5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front view of the stop mechanism which definesthe limits of the dial movement as viewed along the line 6-6 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a face view of the valve control knob and time setting dial;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view looking along the line 8-8 in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the dial pressed to setthe latch; and

FIGS. 100-10! constitute a series of stop motion diagrams showing thepositions of the parts in a typical timedoperating cycle.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to be limited tothe particular embodiment shown but intend on the contrary to cover thevarious alternative and equivalent constructions which are includedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

Turning now to the drawings, a valve body 20 is provided having an inletport 21 and an outlet port 22. Rotatably mounted within the valve bodyis a valve plug 25 having a central opening 26 and a lateral port 27.The valve member 25 is manually rotatable by a shaft 28 and held inplace by suitable packing enclosed in a packing nut 29.

At the end of the shaft 28 is a control knob 30 of hollow constructionproviding an internal space 31 and a knurled periphery 32 which bay berotated with fingertip pressure to vary the flow. When the knob 30 is inits off position, with the plug member oriented as in FIG. 2, no gas canflow between the axial opening 26 and the outlet port 22. However, whenthe knob 30 is rotated, for example, through an angle of about 90 asshown in FIG. 3, the lateral port 27 provides throttled communication sothat gas may flow to the burner; provided that the poppet valvemechanism, to be described, is in its open condition.

Thus in carrying out the invention, a poppet valve member 40 is providedfor engaging, and closing, the end of the valve plug 25. Such member hasa stem 4] which is telescoped into the shaft 28 to present a tip 42which projects axially into the space 31 within the control knob.Surrounding the stem 41 is a biasing spring 43 which biases the poppetvalve in a direction to keep the poppet normally closed.

In accordance with the invention, a timer assembly is provided mountedin the control knob having a setting dial and an output cam. Interposedbetween the cam and the poppet valve stem is a latchable member having alatch and which holds the poppet valve in the open condition. The latchis tripped by the cam when the cam is rotated from a set position to itsreference position to cause closure of the poppet valve at the end ofthe timed interval.

Prior to discussing the latching mechanism reference may be made to thetimer assembly 60 which is set forth in FIGS. 4 and 5. Such timerassembly has a first frame plate 61 and a second frame plate 62, rigidlyspaced from one another by posts 63. Journaled in the frame plates is amain timer shaft 70 having a time setting dial 71 at its forward end andan output cam 73 at its rear end. The output cam has a tip 72 and a lobe74 for purposes to be described. Staked to the main shaft 70 is a maingear having a toothed sector 81 and an open sector 82. Meshing with themain gear 80 is a pinion 83 which is coupled, by means of a clutchspring 84, to a second gear 85. The latter meshes with a second pinion86 which is coupled to a third gear 87. The latter in turn meshes with apinion 88 which is integral with a final gear 89. The gear 89 drives afinal pinion 90 which is integral with a star wheel 91. The star wheel,cooperating witha pair of escapement pins 92, drives an oscillatorybalance 93. Torque is applied to the main shaft 70 by means of a coilspring which has its inner end anchored to the shaft 70 and its outerend anchored to one of the posts.

Thus when the knob 71 is turned the spring 95 is wound up. Turning ofthe gear 80 on the shaft, and the pinion 83 which is meshed with it, isaccommodated by slippage at the clutch 84 so that the timing train doesnot rotate. However, when the time setting dial 71 is released, thespring 95 applies torque to the shaft 70 tending to rotate the shaftback into its reference position. Such torque applied through the timingtrain, causes oscillation of the balance 93 so that the main shaft isslowly restored toward reference position at a timed rate.

For the purpose of establishing a reference position for the dial 71 andfor defining the range of movement of the dial and the shaft which isconnected to it, a stop mechanism is employed as shown in FIGS. I and 6.Thus mounted on the shaft 70 is a stop disc having a tab 101. The latteris positioned to engage the edge of a floating stop member 102 which isfreely mounted upon the shaft 70 and which has a bent tip portion 103which registers with an arcuate slot 104 formed in the adjacent frameplate. The slot has a first end 105 and a second end 106. The spring 95is prestressed so that the stop disc 100 tends to rotate in acounterclockwise direction bringing the tab 101 thereon against the edgeof the floating stop member 102 which is blocked by the end 105 of theslot in an accurate- 1y defined reference position as illustrated inFIG. 7. For deflning the opposite extreme of movement, with the dial 71set for the maximum time interval, the tab 101 is rotated, with theshaft, in a direction of the arrow until it engages the opposite edge ofthe floating stop member 102. This causes the stop member to move intothe dot-dash position where it engages the second end 106 of the slotthereby to define the maximum time setting, usually about 60 minutes.

Having understood the construction of the timing mechanism, and thesetting of the time interval, attention may be given to the latchablemember and latch which are operated by the output cam. As shown in FIGS.1 and 8, the latchable member indicated at 110 is loosely mounted on,and captive with, a post 111. The latchable member is held againstlateral swinging in one direction or the other by guide posts 112, 113which engage the opposite edges (see FIG. 8). For latching the member110 downwardly against the tip 42 of the poppet valve stem, a latch 120is provided having a latch arm 121 and a release arm 122 swingable abouta supporting post 123. At the end of the latch arm 121 is an upstandinglatch hook 124 which is engaged, on its backside, by a biasing spring125 which tends to urge the latch in the hooking direction. At the endofthe latch release arm 122 is an outwardly bent latch release tab 126.The latchable member 110 is arranged in the path of axial movement ofthe cam 73 while the latch release tab 126 is arranged in the path ofswinging movement of the lobe 74 ofthe cam.

For the purpose of transmitting axial motion from the dial 71 to the cam73, the entire frame of the timer mechanism 60 is, in the presentinstance, floatingly mounted. Thus when the dial 71 is pressed inwardlymovement is transmitted to the shaft 70 and to the frame plates 61, 62.For the purpose of resiliently, offloatingly, mounting the frame plates,the rear" frame plate is provided with guide posts 131 which aretelescoped into receptacles 132 which are integral with the knobstructure. lnterposed between the guide posts 131 and the receptacles132 are respective coil springs 133. The frame is held captive, with thesprings 133 in the proper degree ofextension, by machine screws 134which, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, screw into internally threaded tips ofthe guide posts 131.

The effect of the floating mountingjust described is seen by comparingFIGS. 1 and 9. In FIG. 1, which shows the poppet valve 40 in closedposition, the springs 133 are fully extended and the cam 73 is clear ofthe latchable member 110. When the dial 71 is pressed inwardly, theentire frame of the timing mechanism 60 moves inwardly (FIG. 9) causingthe tip 72 of the cam 73 to advance into engagement with the latchablemember 110, causing stem 41 to be pressed inwardly against the restoringforce ofthe spring 43, accompanied by unseating of the poppet 40. With apassage thus open intd the plug member of the valve, the plug member maybe rotated by the knob to uncover the port 27 and the burner may be litin the usual way. The present combined timer and valve may be operatedin two different modes. In one mode, the burner may be turned on, andflame adjusted, prior to setting the time interval. In a second mode,the timer may be set first, followed by manual opening ofthe valve. InFIGS. 100-101', operation in the first mode is broken down intosuccessive steps for easy understanding. Operating in the second modemay be more convenient.

In the initial condition FIG. a, the control knob is in its off positionand latchable member 110, which controls the poppet, is released. Gas isthus doubly turned off. The time setting dial is pressed inwardly toengage the latch, opening the poppet as shown in FIG. 10!), but no gasflows. Nest the knob is rotated, say through an angle of 90, so that themain throttling valve is opened, as in FIG. 10c, turning the gas onwhich is ignited automatically by the pilot.

To set the time interval, the dial is simultaneously pressed and turnedto a selected time setting. This causes an idle tripping ofthe latch asshown in FIG. 10d, but the latch resets itself as shown in FIG. 10e,upon moving past the tripping point. After the region of idle motion,corresponding to the toothless sector 82 on the gear has been traversed,the teeth 81 engage the pinion 83. Further movement of the gear 80, asthe dial moves to its set position is accompanied by idle slipping atthe clutch 84.

When pressure on the dial is released, the dial immediately begins itstiming cycle accompanied by return rotation of the cam as shown in FIG.10f until the sector of the motion defined by the toothless sector 82 isreached. Rapid movement of the cam beyond this point, as shown in FIG.10g, brings the lobe 74 of the cam into engagement with the surface l26of the latch member 120, moving the hook of the latch away from thelatchable member 110, freeing the latter for release of the stem 41 andpermitting closure ofthe poppet valve 40 for positive shutoff of thegas. Final movement of the dial (FIG. 1011) brings it back to thereference position shown in FIG. 7. Since the gas is off, the controlknob may simply be left where it is, or if desired, it may be rotatedback to its off position as shown in FIG. 10i.

Thus it is to be noted that the timing mechanism is not called upon torotate the manual valve back into its off position. Instead, the onlyenergy which the timer is called upon to supply is that small amountofenergy which is required for the tripping of the latch. The amount ofenergy which is storeable in the light spring 43, by a manual pushincident to latching, may be relied upon to positively move the throttlevalve from open to closed position at the end of a cycle. Since thepoppet valve and its stem are small and of light construction, freelyfitted within the shaft ofthe throttle valve, the frictional forces arelow, predictable and constant even after years of usage.

It has been found convenient in the above construction, for the purposeof utilizing an available design of timer assembly, to mount the entiretimer assembly floatingly to achieve axial movement of the cam 73required for latching. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled inthe art that the invention is not limited to use of a floating mount forthe entire frame of the timer mechanism but, instead, the frame may bemounted stationarily within the knob and the shaft 70, upon which thedial 71 and cam 73 are mounted, may be slideably mounted for movement,through a small axial distance, with respect to the timer frame, adistance which is sufficient in any event to effect latching of themember 110. One skilled in the art will also recognize that the entireshaft 70, with its dial and cam, may be centrally bored, if desired, toprovide access for a small diameter plunger which may be operated by apushbutton at the front of the dial 71 for latching purposes. Thepresent arrangement is preferred, however, since the latching andsetting of the time interval may be accomplished simultaneously byinward force, and turning force, applied simultaneously to the settingdial. Moreover, while the cam lobe shown, for example, in FIG. 8 is ofclassic shape, it will be apparent that the function of releasing thelatch need not be performed by a conventionally shaped cam but may beperformed equally effectively by a short radial arm projecting from theinner end of the shaft 70. Accordingly, the term cam as used herein isused in a general sense to denote a member which is capable of applyingthe axial pressure necessary for latching or the pressure in theperipheral direction required for release. The term latch as usedherein, as well as the adjective latchable," refers to any member forholding the poppet in open position during the timed interval.

While the latching of the poppet constitutes an important element in thepresent invention, and while the poppet must be latched even for manualoperation of the control knob, it may be noted that in practical usage,manual control operations will greatly outnumber automatic timedoperations. In a series of manual operations, the poppet, once latched,will stay latched so that there will be no necessity for latching eachtime the burner is used. Consequently, the timing function is not boughtat the expense of complicating ordinary manual control. The only timethat latching is necessary as an intentional step is where the burner isto be used following a timed cooking operation, a fact easily understoodby anyone using the range.

In above discussion it has been assumed that the gas throttle valve isturned on (moved from the stop defining the off position) and that thetimer dial is moved to its set position, both in the clockwisedirection. To permit the time setting and knob adjustment to be done, insequence, singlehandedly, it is desireable for the mechanism to be madeand adjusted so that a different amount of torque is required for thetwo functions. However, the amount of torque may change during the lifeof the range; for example, the torque required to turn the knob againstfriction in the throttle valve may be substantially reduced upon passageof time as the throttle valve gradually wears in. Consequently, it is afurther and more detailed feature of the present invention to provide atimer and control valve in which the timer and gas control movements aremade in opposite directions. By way of example, and as shown in FIG. 7,the timer setting dial is moved clockwise from its reference position toa time set position. Such timer is preferably used with a gas throttlevalve having a stop which defines the off position and having a shaftwhich rotates counterclockwise for gradual increase of gas flow. Wherethis condition is met, it is convenient to set the timer dial firstsince, upon turning it to the right, reaction torque against the gascontrol knob causes the latter to positively bottom on its "off" stop sothat timer dial movement does nottend to produce movement of the knob.Once the timer is set, the knob may be bodily rotated, by the same hand,in the opposite (counterclockwise) direction to establish the level ofgas flow. Thus timers may if desired be employed having relatively stiffreturn springs without any tendency for the knob to be rotated, duringthe setting of the timer, into its on position, and a throttle valve maybe used requiring an extremely light turning force. it will be apparentto one skilled in the art that the directions of timer dial rotation,from reference position, and knob rotation, from off position, may berespectively reversed while still preserving the feature of sequential,single handed setting of the two function.

While the term gas" has been used in referring to the controlled fluid,it will be apparent that the timer and valve are not limited to use withflammable gas but are equally capable ofcontrolling the flow ofotherfluids.

lclaim:

1. in a timer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valveand a poppet valve for cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having arotatable shaft and the poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in theshaft and biased outwardly to a (gas) fluid shutoff position, thecombination comprising a hollow valve knob having means for attachmentto the shaft, a timer assembly in said valve knob having a frame as wellas a main shaft carrying a setting dial at one end and an output cam atthe other axially aligned in said knob, said timer assembly being soconstructed that when the setting dial is rotated to a set position froma reference position it returns timingly to the reference positionaccompanied by rotation of the cam, an axially movable latchable memberfor engaging the tip of the stem to open the poppet valve, a biasedlatch for latching the latchable member, the frame of the timer assemblybeing mounted in the knob for limited axial movement and having meansfor biasing the same outwardly with respect to the knob, the latchablemember being in the path of inward axial movement as the dial is pressedinwardly for latching the poppet valve in its open position, said latchbeing in the path of rotational movement of the cam so that when the camtimingly rotates back to its reference position from a set position ittrips the latch to cut off flow of the (gas) fluid.

2. In a timer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valveand a poppet valve for cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having arotatable shaft and the poppet valve having a stern freely titted in theshaft and biased axially to a fluid shutoff position, the combinationcomprising a hollow valve knob having means for attachment to the shaft,the timer assembly mounted in said valve knob and having a frame as wellas a setting dial and an output cam, said timer assembly being soconstructed that when the setting dial is rotated to a set position froma reference position it returns timingly to the reference positionaccompanied by rotation of the cam, an axially movable latchable memberfor engaging the tip of the stem to open the poppet valve, a biasedlatch for latching the latchable member, the frame of the timer assemblybeing mounted in the knob for limited axial movement with means forbiasing the same outwardly, the latchable member being coupled to theframe for response to the inward movement of the frame for latching thepoppet valve in open position, said latch being in the path of returnmovement of the cam so that when the cam timingly rotates back to itsreference position from the set position it trips the latch to cut offflow of the (gas) fluid.

3. In a timer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valveand a poppet valve for cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having arotatable shaft and the poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in theshaft and biased axially to a (gas) fluid shutoff position, thecombination comprising a hollow valve knob having means for attachmentto the shaft, a timer assembly mounted in the valve knob having a frame,setting dial means and an output cam, said timer assembly being soconstructed that when the setting dial is rotated to a set position froma reference position it returns timingly to the reference positionaccompanied by operation of the cam, an axially movable latchable memberfor engaging the tip of the stem to open the poppet valve, a biasedlatch for latching the latchable member, said dial means being axiallymovable and having means for biasing the same outwardly, meansresponsive to axially inward movement manually applied to the dial meansfor pressing on the latchable member for latching the same to open thepoppet valve, said latch being in the path of return movement of theoutput cam so that when the dial timingly rotates back to its referenceposition from the set position the latch is tripped for cutting off theflow of (gas) fluid.

4. in a timer for a range top burner or the like the combinationcomprising a throttle valve and a poppet valve for cutting off the fluidflow, the throttle valve having a rotatable shaft and the poppet valvehaving a stem freely fitted in the shaft and biased axially to a (gas)fluid shutoff position, a hollow valve knob having means for attachmentto the shaft for rotating the shaft from an off position when the knobis turned for manual throttling control of the (gas) fluid, a timerassembly mounted in the valve knob having a frame, setting dial meansand an output cam, the setting dial being coaxially arranged in saidknob and said timer assembly being so constructed that when the settingdial and cam are rotated to a set position from a reference positionthey return timingly to the reference position, an axially movablelatchable member for engaging the tip of the stem to open the poppetvalve, means associated with the cam operated incident to setting thedial for latching the latchable member, and means operated incident toreturn to the reference position for automatically releasing thelatchable member thereby to release the poppet valve for turning offthe(gas) flow of fluid.

5. in a timer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valveand a poppet valve for cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having arotatable shaft and the poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in theshaft and biased axially to a fluid shutoff position, the combinationcomprising a hollow valve knob having means for attachment to the shaft,a timer assembly in said valve knob having a frame, setting dial meansand an output cam, said timer assembly beingso constructed that when thesetting knob is rotated to a set position from a reference position itreturns timingly to the reference position accompanied by rotation ofthe cam, an axially movable latchable member for engaging the tip of thestem to open the poppet valve, a biased latch for latching the latchablemember, said dial means being axially movable and having means forbiasing the same outwardly, means responsive to axially inward movementof the dial means for pressing the latchable member for latching thesame to open the poppet valve, said latch being in the path of returnmovement of the cam so that when the cam timingly rotates back to itsreference position from the set position, it trips the latch to cutoffflow ofthe (gas) fluid.

6. in a timer for a range top burner biasing the the like having athrottle valve and a poppet valve for cutting off the fluid flow, thethrottle valve having a rotatable shaft and the poppet valve having(the) a stem freely fitted in the shaft and biased outwardly to a (gas)fluid shutoff position, the combination comprising a hollow valve knobhaving means for attachment to the shaft, a timer assembly mounted inthe valve knob having a frame with a main shaft axially arrangedtherein, said main shaft having a setting dial at the forward end and acam at the rear end, a spring for rotationally biasing the shaft into areference position, a sector gear on the shaft and a timing train driventhereby, said sector gear having a toothless sector for defining initiallost motion and said timing train including a clutch so that when thedial is rotated from the reference position past the region of lostmotion to a set position the shaft tends to return timingly toward thereference position accompanied by rotation of the cam, an axiallymovable latchable member for engaging the tip of the stem, a biasedlatch for latching the latchable member, said frame being mounted forlimited axial movement with respect to the knob and having means forbiasing the same outwardly, the latchable member being in the path ofaxial movement of the cam so that when the dial is manually pressedinwardly the latchable member is moved into latched position accompaniedby opening the pilot lot valve, said latch being arranged in the path ofreturn movement of the cam so that when the cam timingly rotates back toits reference position from a set position it trips the latch to cutoffflow ofthe (gas) fluid.

7. In a timer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valveand a poppet valve for cutting off the fluid flow, the throttle valvehaving a rotatable shaft and the poppet valve having (the) a stem freelyfitted in the shaft and biased outwardly to a shutoff position, thecombination comprising a hollow valve knob having means for attachmentto the shaft, a timer assembly mounted in the valve knob having a framewith a main shaft axially arranged therein, said main shaft having asetting dial at the forward end and a cam at the rear end, a spring forbiasing the shaft into a reference position, a sector gear on the shaftand a timing train driven thereby, said sector gear having a toothlesssector for defining initial lost motion and said timing train includinga clutch so that when the dial is rotated from the reference positionpast the region of lost motion to a set position, the shaft tends toreturn timingly toward the reference position accompanied by rotation ofthe cam, an axially movable latchable member for engaging the tip of thestem to open the poppet valve, means associated with the cam operatedincident to setting the dial for latching the latchable member, andmeans operated incident to return of the dial to the region of lostmotion adjacent the reference position for releasing the latchablemember thereby to release the poppet valve for turning off the (gas)flow of fluid.

8. [n a timer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valveand a poppet valve for cutting off the fluid flow, the throttle valvehaving a rotatable shaft and the poppet having a stern freely fitted inthe shaft and biased axially to a fluid shut off position, a valve knobhaving means for attachment to the shaft, a timer assembly mounted inthe valve knob and having a biased setting dial which is rotatable withrespect to the knob against the force of bias from a reference positionto a time set position, means for coupling the timer assembly to thepoppet valve so that the poppet valve is held open during the time thatthe timer dial is displaced from its reference position and closed whenthe timer dial is restored to its reference position after the timedinterval to shutoff flow of (gas) fluid, the throttle valve and knobhaving a stop to define the (gas) fluid off position, said knob beingrotatable from its off position in one direction, the timer setting dialbeing rotatable from its reference position in the opposite direction sothat the torque required to rotate the timer setting dial is resisted bythe stop associated with the knob and so that the knob remainsstationary during th e time that the timer dial is being manually setthere y permitting the timer dial and knob to be operated sequential bythe single band of the person using the range.

1. In a timer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valveand a poppet valve for cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having arotatable shaft and the poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in theshaft and biased outwardly to a (gas) fluid shutoff position, thecombination comprising a hollow valve knob having means for attachmentto the shaft, a timer assembly in said valve knob having a frame as wellas a main shaft carrying a setting dial at one end and an output cam atthe other axially aligned in said knob, said timer assembly being soconstructed that when the setting dial is rotated to a set position froma reference position it returns timingly to the reference positionaccompanied by rotation of the cam, an axially movable latchable memberfor engaging the tip of the stem to open the poppet valve, a biasedlatch for latching the latchable member, the frame of the timer assemblybeing mounted in the knob for limited axial movement and having meansfor biasing the same outwardly with respect to the knob, the latchablemember being in the path of inward axial movement as the dial is pressedinwardly for latching the poppet valve in its open position, said latchbeing in the path of rotational movement of the cam so that when the camtimingly rotates back to its reference position from a set position ittrips the latch to cut off flow of the (gas) fluid.
 2. In a timer for arange top burner or the like having a throttle valve and a poppet valvefor cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having a rotatable shaftand the poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in the shaft and biasedaxially to a fluid shutoff position, the combination comprising a hollowvalve knob having means for attachment to the shaft, the timer assemblymounted in said valve knob and having a frame as well as a setting dialand an output cam, said timer assembly being so constructed that whenthe setting dial is rotated to a set position from a reference positionit returns timingly to the reference position accompanied by rotation ofthe cam, an axially movable latchable member for engaging the tip of thestem to open the poppet valve, a biased latch for latching the latchablemember, the frame of the timer assembly being mounted in the knob forlimited axial movement with means for biasing the same outwardly, thelatchable member being coupled to the frame for response to the inwardmovement of the frame for latching the poppet valve in open position,said latch being in the path of return movement of the cam so that whenthe cam timingly rotates back to its reference position from the setposition it trips the latch to cut off flow of the (gas) fluid.
 3. In atimer for a range top burner or the like having a throttle valve and apoppet valve for cutting off the flow, the throttle valve having arotatable shaft and the poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in theshaft and biased axially to a (gas) fluid shutoff position, thecombination comprisiNg a hollow valve knob having means for attachmentto the shaft, a timer assembly mounted in the valve knob having a frame,setting dial means and an output cam, said timer assembly being soconstructed that when the setting dial is rotated to a set position froma reference position it returns timingly to the reference positionaccompanied by operation of the cam, an axially movable latchable memberfor engaging the tip of the stem to open the poppet valve, a biasedlatch for latching the latchable member, said dial means being axiallymovable and having means for biasing the same outwardly, meansresponsive to axially inward movement manually applied to the dial meansfor pressing on the latchable member for latching the same to open thepoppet valve, said latch being in the path of return movement of theoutput cam so that when the dial timingly rotates back to its referenceposition from the set position the latch is tripped for cutting off theflow of (gas) fluid.
 4. In a timer for a range top burner or the likethe combination comprising a throttle valve and a poppet valve forcutting off the fluid flow, the throttle valve having a rotatable shaftand the poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in the shaft and biasedaxially to a (gas) fluid shutoff position, a hollow valve knob havingmeans for attachment to the shaft for rotating the shaft from an offposition when the knob is turned for manual throttling control of the(gas) fluid, a timer assembly mounted in the valve knob having a frame,setting dial means and an output cam, the setting dial being coaxiallyarranged in said knob and said timer assembly being so constructed thatwhen the setting dial and cam are rotated to a set position from areference position they return timingly to the reference position, anaxially movable latchable member for engaging the tip of the stem toopen the poppet valve, means associated with the cam operated incidentto setting the dial for latching the latchable member, and meansoperated incident to return to the reference position for automaticallyreleasing the latchable member thereby to release the poppet valve forturning off the (gas) flow of fluid.
 5. In a timer for a range topburner or the like having a throttle valve and a poppet valve forcutting off the flow, the throttle valve having a rotatable shaft andthe poppet valve having a stem freely fitted in the shaft and biasedaxially to a fluid shutoff position, the combination comprising a hollowvalve knob having means for attachment to the shaft, a timer assembly insaid valve knob having a frame, setting dial means and an output cam,said timer assembly being so constructed that when the setting knob isrotated to a set position from a reference position it returns timinglyto the reference position accompanied by rotation of the cam, an axiallymovable latchable member for engaging the tip of the stem to open thepoppet valve, a biased latch for latching the latchable member, saiddial means being axially movable and having means for biasing the sameoutwardly, means responsive to axially inward movement of the dial meansfor pressing the latchable member for latching the same to open thepoppet valve, said latch being in the path of return movement of the camso that when the cam timingly rotates back to its reference positionfrom the set position, it trips the latch to cutoff flow of the (gas)fluid.
 6. In a timer for a range top burner or the like having athrottle valve and a poppet valve for cutting off the fluid flow, thethrottle valve having a rotatable shaft and the poppet valve having(the) a stem freely fitted in the shaft and biased outwardly to a (gas)fluid shutoff position, the combination comprising a hollow valve knobhaving means for attachment to the shaft, a timer assembly mounted inthe valve knob having a frame with a main shaft axially arrangedtherein, said main shaft having a setting dial at the forward end and acam at the rear end, a spring for rotationally biasing the shaft into arEference position, a sector gear on the shaft and a timing train driventhereby, said sector gear having a toothless sector for defining initiallost motion and said timing train including a clutch so that when thedial is rotated from the reference position past the region of lostmotion to a set position the shaft tends to return timingly toward thereference position accompanied by rotation of the cam, an axiallymovable latchable member for engaging the tip of the stem, a biasedlatch for latching the latchable member, said frame being mounted forlimited axial movement with respect to the knob and having means forbiasing the same outwardly, the latchable member being in the path ofaxial movement of the cam so that when the dial is manually pressedinwardly the latchable member is moved into latched position accompaniedby opening the pilot valve, said latch being arranged in the path ofreturn movement of the cam so that when the cam timingly rotates back toits reference position from a set position it trips the latch to cutoffflow of the (gas) fluid.
 7. In a timer for a range top burner or thelike having a throttle valve and a poppet valve for cutting off thefluid flow, the throttle valve having a rotatable shaft and the poppetvalve having (the) a stem freely fitted in the shaft and biasedoutwardly to a shutoff position, the combination comprising a hollowvalve knob having means for attachment to the shaft, a timer assemblymounted in the valve knob having a frame with a main shaft axiallyarranged therein, said main shaft having a setting dial at the forwardend and a cam at the rear end, a spring for biasing the shaft into areference position, a sector gear on the shaft and a timing train driventhereby, said sector gear having a toothless sector for defining initiallost motion and said timing train including a clutch so that when thedial is rotated from the reference position past the region of lostmotion to a set position, the shaft tends to return timingly toward thereference position accompanied by rotation of the cam, an axiallymovable latchable member for engaging the tip of the stem to open thepoppet valve, means associated with the cam operated incident to settingthe dial for latching the latchable member, and means operated incidentto return of the dial to the region of lost motion adjacent thereference position for releasing the latchable member thereby to releasethe poppet valve for turning off the (gas) flow of fluid.
 8. In a timerfor a range top burner or the like having a throttle valve and a poppetvalve for cutting off the fluid flow, the throttle valve having arotatable shaft and the poppet having a stem freely fitted in the shaftand biased axially to a fluid shut off position, a valve knob havingmeans for attachment to the shaft, a timer assembly mounted in the valveknob and having a biased setting dial which is rotatable with respect tothe knob against the force of bias from a reference position to a timeset position, means for coupling the timer assembly to the poppet valveso that the poppet valve is held open during the time that the timerdial is displaced from its reference position and closed when the timerdial is restored to its reference position after the timed interval toshutoff flow of (gas) fluid, the throttle valve and knob having a stopto define the (gas) fluid off position, said knob being rotatable fromits off position in one direction, the timer setting dial beingrotatable from its reference position in the opposite direction so thatthe torque required to rotate the timer setting dial is resisted by thestop associated with the knob and so that the knob remains stationaryduring the time that the timer dial is being manually set therebypermitting the timer dial and knob to be operated sequentially in thatorder by the single hand of the person using the range.